Amusement apparatus.



No. 857,605. PATENTBD JUNE 25, 1907. A. -J. DAYTON. v

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS..

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 190e.

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10.857,605. PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

A. J. DAYTON.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED mm1. 190e.

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AN SEL J. DAYTON, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

AMUSEIVIENT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

` Patented June 25, 1907.

Application filed June 1, 1906. Serial No. 319,743.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANsEL J. DAYTON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to amusement apparatus and especially to merry-go-rounds and has for its objects to providea device which shall be propelled by the riders, and which will resemble the action of rowing.

A further object is to provide an automatic friction brake which shall be more sensitive to the rotary action of the machine than would be the case if it relied solely on its centrifugal action, and which can be adjusted so that any desired degree of sensibility inay be secured.

I attain these objects by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of my machine, Fig. 2 is a plan thereof, Fig. 3 is a plan of the antifriction disk, Fig. 4 is an elevation of the propelling oar, and Fig. 5 is an elevation of the automatic brake.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The base 1 of the apparatus has the column 2, supporting the table 8, secured to it and is suitably mounted on foundations. The table 3 is circular in form and is provided with a number of radial flanges 4 extending from near the center of the table to its outer edge.

An antifriction disk 5 is supported on balls 6 which pass through it and support the main seat dis i 7. The disk 5 surrounds the central column 2 and is provided with vertical rollers 8 bearing against said column and mounted on ins secured to said disk 5. The seat disk 7 bears on the balls 6 and is supported thereby and is kept concentric with the apparatus by bearing against the outer side of the rollers 8. The disk 7 travels twice as fast as the disk 5 since it is supported on the balls 6, and the saine relationship exists at the center since the rollers 8 are mounted on pins secured to the disk 5 and bear against the fixed' column 2 and the inner edge of the disk 7. A series of suitable seats 9 are secured to the disk 7 being arranged radially thereon, and each of the seats is provided with a suitable swivel oarlock 10. The propelling oars 11 fit loosely in the oar-lock 10 and are provided at their outer ends with wheels 12. These oars are adapted to engage with their wheeled ends the flanges 4 on the table 3 and to roll along said flanges as the disk 7 rotates and they swing in the oar locks 10. Thus it will be seen that persons seated on the seats 9 can drive the merrygo-round by means of the oars 11 since the central table 3 is stationary; and further the speed with which the merry-goround will rotate will depend entirely on the effort exerted by those riding thereon. It will be seen that in the drawings I have shown the central table provided with eight radial flanges 4 while the disk 7 has six rowing seats 9 secured thereto. Hence I am able to make the motion of the disk 7 very steady as adjacent rowers will be in different parts of their strokes while opposite rowers will be in similar positions, so that while one pair of opposite rowers are recovering and preparing to take a new stroke the other pairs are in the middle or near the end respectively of their strokes.

The speed of rotation of the disk 7 is further regulated by means of a pair of frictional governors consisting of a shoe 13" carried by the disk 7 andl adapted to bear against the upper surface of the base 1 when pressed downward by the governor. This shoe 13 is secured to a vertically moving rod 14 which is secured to the swinging lever 15 of the governor, said lever 1.5 being pivoted to the frame 16 which is mounted on the disk 7. The outer end of the lever 15 is bent downward almost vertically so as to assume an almost vertical position and is provided with a weight 17 at its end and with a wing "18 between the weight 17 and the pivot. Thiswing 1S is clamped to the lever 15 by suitable straps 19 in such a manner that its angle to the radius of the disk 7 may be varied by loosening the clamps 19 and adjusting the wing 18 to the desired angle and then tightening up the clamps 19. As the disk 7 rotates the weight 17 tends to fly outward through the action of its centrifugal force, but since the amount of motion necessary to effect the regulation of the disk IOO IIO

would require either that the disk rotate at a greater speed than would be convenient for this merry-go-round, or that the weight 17 be too great for practical purposes. Hence I have conibinedfiwith the action of the weight 17 the aiding action of the wing 1S which may be set at such an angle as to lift the lever 15 outward by the resistance of the air when the disk 7 has attained the desiredspeed.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In aniamu-sement apparatus, the combinationwith a base, of a central table secured thereto, aflrevoluble spacing disk concentric with said table, anti-friction balls engaging said base and supporting and projecting thro-ugh said s pacing disk, a passenger disk supported by the balls and concentric with said table, and means secured to said. passenger disk and engaging said table whereby said passenger disk is rotated.

2. In an amusement apparatus, the combination with a base, of a cent-ral table secured thereto, a revoluble spacing disk concentric with said table, anti-'friction balls engaging said base and supporting and projecting through said spacing disk, a passenger disk supported by the balls and concentric with said table, and rowing levers secured to said passenger disk and engaging said table whereby said passenger disk is rot'ated.

3. In an amusement apparatus, the combination with a base, of a central table secured thereto, radial anges secured to the top of said table, a revoluble spacing disk concentric with said table, anti-friction balls engaging said base and supporting and projecting through said spacing disk, a passenger disk supported by the balls and concentric with said table, and rowing levers secured to said passenger disk and engaging said radial flanges on said table whereby said passenger disk is rotated.

4.. In an amusement apparatus, the combination with a base, of a central circular table secured thereto, a revoluble annular spacing disk concentric with said table, antifriction balls engaging said base and supporting and projecting through said spacing disk, anti-friction rollers mounted on said spacing disk and engaging said circular table to hold said disk concentric therewith, an annular passenger disk supported by the balls and engaging the outer surfaces of said rollers whereby it is' held concentric with said table, and means secured to said passenger disk and engaging said table whereby said. passenger disk is rotated.

5. In an amusement apparatus, the combination of a central table, radial ilanges secured to the top thereof, a rotating passenger disk concentric with said table, rowing levers pivoted to said passenger disk, wheels mounted on the ends of said rowing levers and adapted to engage and roll on said ilanges whereby said passenger disk is rotated.

6. In an amusement apparatus, the combination of a fixed base, a rotating passenger disk., a brake shoe carried by said passenger disk and adapted to be brought into frictional engagement with said base, an actuating lever carried by said disk and engaging said shoe, a Weight mounted on the end of said lever and adapted to act thereon by its centrifugal force, and a wing mounted on said lever at an angle to the direction olE rotation and adapted to act thereon by the resistance of the air.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANSEL J. DAYTON.

IVitnesses:

H. G. ROWLAND, DIX H. RowLAND. 

